


A Different Kind of Pain

by clindzy



Series: All I Can Breathe Is Your Life [1]
Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-27
Updated: 2016-01-27
Packaged: 2018-05-16 17:25:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5834212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clindzy/pseuds/clindzy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time Lizzie told him to go to hell, he almost cried. The next time she told him go to hell, he felt a virulent anger. The third time he felt an unfamiliar sensation, one only she held the solution to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Different Kind of Pain

**Author's Note:**

> Lizzington is a ship that sails itself. This came to me after watching 1x6 Gina Zanetakos (No. 152). Within the first seconds of meeting Agent Keen, Raymond Reddington allowed himself to begin to show brief glimpses of his human vulnerabilities. By this episode, it's clear to see that he's very taken with her.

"Go to hell."

Those words rang in his head long after Lizzie stormed out of his apartment, heels echoing behind her as she slammed the door. He rubbed his chest, perturbed by the dull prickling sensation he felt there.  _Jesus, was it possible that he was actually feeling something other than the blanket of numbness he'd come to accept over the past two decades?_

Feeling more than a little off kilter, Red poured himself a healthy three fingers of his favorite bourbon; that strange feeling was still there. He wanted to call Lizzie desperately - her simple words had cut him deep. Tom, that slimy bastard, wouldn't appreciate him calling, he was sure. Sighing, he settled for drinking his bourbon and thinking of how beautiful Lizzie was when she got fired up. Her blue eyes became luminescent, impossible to draw his gaze from; her pulse would jump at her throat, becoming dewy with sweat as her temper got the better of her.

The next time it happened, Red found himself infuriated; the curious sting of the previous incident was completely absent. He thought they were making real progress together as they whittled away at the Blacklist. It wasn't lost on him, however, that she was forcing him to feel things. Red wasn't so sure if he liked it.

With these new feelings came new questions: was Lizzie being so aggressive because she felt something for him?; was Lizzie truly angry with him?; was she attracted to him?

Of course, he had no intention of ever allowing these curiosities out of the confines of his mind.

Then, Lizzie blew his intentions to hell. They were working on catching a particularly difficult Blacklister and predictably, she had gotten herself well in the line of fire, allowing this psychopath unrestricted access to her. Red should have known this mission would go sideways: this man had a predilection for snatching brunettes, sequestering them in remote locations and keeping them as his personal playmates until they were no longer entertaining to him. Thank God, he had put his foot down about allowing the DARPA chip in her neck; he would be able to find her. When he found her shivering on that cabin floor, naked, bruised and bloody all over, Red lost whatever control he had left. He stripped his jacket off, covering Lizzie with it, then stalked over to "the Hunter" as he was called, and began to beat him until bones cracked and blood was gushing into the floor. He did not stop until he was sure Lizzie's abductor was dead. Calmly he cleaned his hands off before returning to her side.

"Go to hell, Red," Lizzie said weakly.

Red felt something twist and pull in his chest, his mouth quirked into what could only be called a fond smile.

"Even when I rescue you, you manage to be your charming self, Lizzie."

Lizzie looked at him, her big blue eyes searching his vast blue gray eyes, an unspoken answer to his as yet unasked question.

"You've made me feel things that I haven't felt in a very long time. I can't promise that I'll be good at this. I can promise that I will always protect you, even when you tell me to go to hell." Red reached for Lizzie's hand, waiting for the answer that would decide their future.

"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have had the courage to do any of this." Lizzie gestured around them before continuing, "I kept telling myself that if I ignored it, it would go away; I was scared of falling for you. Not because of who you were, but because after everything I couldn't lose you too. I can't promise that I'll be good at this either. What I can promise is to always be next to you, trusting you and protecting you."

Lizzie shivered again, Red scooped her up, pressing his lips against hers, savoring her warm breath brushing his face, and exited the cabin, taking them back into the cold, cloudless night.


End file.
